Smartphone manufacturers seem to have one primary goal when it comes to screen design these days: make them bigger.

Apart from Apple — which has stuck firm to its 3.7-inch screen for several iPhone generations — manufacturers have been pumping screen sizes up to 4 inches and beyond. No one has been a bigger proponent of this trend than Samsung, which recently released the 4.8-inch screen Galaxy S III and also makes the 5.2-inch Galaxy Note.

The Note challenges the hand, pocket and general perception of what size a smartphone screen should be, but rumor has it that it’s about to get even bigger.

According to a report in the Korean media, Samsung is planning to release a Note with a 5.5-inch screen, which the publication MK Business also suggests will have a quad-core processor and a 12 MP camera.

Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the design plans for the Galaxy Note.

The 5.3-inch screen already earned the Note recognition as a “phablet,” or combination phone tablet. As I said in my review, the big screen is great for video and browsing, but isn’t particularly convenient for holding in one hand, or against your face.

Two-tenths of an inch may not sound like a lot, but it can make all the difference when you’re trying to drop something into a purse or pants pocket — or when you want just a little more room on your screen to watch movies.

In any case, if the rumors are true, the Note would top its own spot as the largest smartphone on the market and get closer to the territory of the increasingly popular 7-inch tablet.